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Fleet Insider

Knight of the Road
Sheryl Youngblood, host of the KnightTime Radio Show, and member of the KnightTime Board of Directors, announced that the Knight of the Road Most Excellent Award for July 2005 will go to owner-operator Glen White of Avoca, Pa.

White will formally receive the award in September. He will be honored with a knight statue and a jacket, displaying the shields of honor, valor, fervor and ardor at the International Highway Interdependence Day on Sept. 10. White has been driving for 30 years.

The Knights of the Road program was launched in March 2005 to restore the image of truck drivers as the Knights of the Road and to reward drivers who display kindness, professionalism and service.

For more information about the Knights of the Road, visit this site or call (877) 234-6362.

Sitton Drivers of the Month
Sitton Motor Lines’ February 2005 Driver of the Month is Wayne McGugan of Hephizbah, Ga. McGugan has been a company driver with Sitton since May 1990. He has more than a million safe miles and was also the May 2002 Driver of the Month.

The March 2005 Driver of the Month is Jackie Burks of Riverton, Kan. A company driver since August 1990, Burks was also named Driver of the Month in May 1997, January 1999, October 1999 and July 2000. Burks was first runner up for Driver of the Year in 1999.

Charity Drive
Christenson Transportation, Inc., in Springfield, Mo., and Lebanon, Tenn., was the top fundraiser of the year for the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill of Southwest Missouri. Christenson associates, owner-operators and fleet drivers raised more than $5,200 for NAMI.
Christenson sponsored “Dress Down Fridays” in April, which allowed employees to wear shorts, sandals and T-shirts for a $3 donation. Sixteen employees from the company participated in the “Walk for Mental Health” in Springfield on May 7.

Pay Increase
Nagle Toledo Inc. of Walbridge, Ohio, has put into effect a starting pay of 40 cents per mile for OTR drivers. That is a 3 cents per mile increase over the company’s previous starting wage. Nagle also offers a bonus program of 2 cents per mile for drivers meeting safety incentives and efficient driving. There is no minimum number of miles to reach the bonuses.

Family Fares Well at Montana Championships
Jim Butler and his two sons, Reese and Brad, all of whom drive for FedEx Ground, won three divisions and the team title in the Montana State Truck Driving Championships that were held in Billings in June.

Jim won the Sleeper Berth; Brad won Straight Truck and Reese took home the gold in the Twin Trailers, in addition to being the overall winner. This is the first time in 22 years of the event that a father and two sons have won and qualified for the National Truck Driving Championships to be held Aug. 16-20 in Tampa, Fla.

Schneider Shows its Appreciation
Schneider National hosted its annual Associate Appreciation Days the week of June 6-10 to thank employees company-wide for their loyalty and commitment. The weeklong event recognized the company’s 22,000 associates, from drivers to mechanics to office associates. Teams of corporate leaders spent the week visiting Schneider locations around the United States.

Leadership teams provided driver and non-driver associates with corporate updates, hosted small group question and answer sessions, shared meals and spent time at driver gathering areas to express their appreciation and learn more about driver issues. There were also driver-focused activities such as pumping fuel and washing windshields.

Bekins Spotlights Driver Contributions
The Bekins Company celebrated Driver Appreciation Week with a series of events held to show the company’s appreciation of its drivers. The activities included driver appreciation luncheons at Bekins agent locations throughout the country and the awarding of prize giveaways to more than 187 drivers.

The entire Bekins system volunteered to help with the events and the company thanked all drivers who came into the facilities for their dedication to Bekins and its customers.

May Drivers of the Month
All Marten Transport May 2005 Drivers of the Month logged a minimum of 10,500 miles, were accident-free and made all deliveries on time during the month. The drivers averaged 14,126 miles during May. Each received $25.